Chapter 29 - The Devil loves a good sinner.

Alessandro

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I entered the candle lit chapel exactly as the witching hour started, the scent of incense still lingering in the air, mingling with the musty aroma of old wood and forgotten sins. The dim light of the flickering candles cast eerie shadows across the stone walls, giving the place a sinister, almost otherworldly feel, bathing the room in a twisted mockery of holiness.

This was the sanctuary where Giovanni prayed for the lost and broken souls, a place where he preached about redemption and forgiveness. But tonight, it was nothing more than a stage for the devil’s work.

My work.

I dipped my fingers into the holy water at the entrance, feeling its coolness against my skin. I caught Giovanni’s eye, and with a slow, deliberate motion, I brought my hand up to my forehead.

I made the sign of the cross, but deliberately wrong—touching my forehead, then my left shoulder, skipping the center of my chest entirely, and finishing with a half-hearted swipe to the right.